Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

[robertearle]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

You are wasting your bits. TA only wants to cast a negative light on anything MN does. Reality has no input on it. That Labahn couldn't have held yesterday's crowd does not impress him, it was bad because it was in Minneapolis.

There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 people in Ridder this weekend. That happens at Labahn, too. But let's not kid ourselves There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 at Ridder this weekend.

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 people in Ridder this weekend. That happens at Labahn, too. But let's not kid ourselves There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 at Ridder this weekend.

I don't know if you didn't enjoy it, but for me again, the atmosphere in there both days was great and it was really fun. It was loud and the players were getting a lot of energy from the crowd. And there were a lot of Badger fans!

This was a great showcase for women's hockey!

And I think the Badgers had a good time:

Senior forward Baylee Wellhausen
On winning their first WCHA Final Faceoff game:
"There's something about playing in Minnesota. They're a huge rival for us, so playing in this rink is always an extra energy boost for me. Today, the whole team was having a lot of fun in the locker room, we were dancing, we were getting loose, and I think that made us really relaxed to play here. We went out there and we definitely had a lot of fun."

Abby Roque after Sunday:
On Minnesota's performance:
"I think you could tell they really wanted it, especially at the end of the game. They were really psyched when they won. I think that's a big factor in how they played hard. I think we played really well, I think we had our chances to win,

 

[robertearle]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I don't know if you didn't enjoy it, but for me again, the atmosphere in there both days was great and it was really fun. It was loud and the players were getting a lot of energy from the crowd. And there were a lot of Badger fans!

This was a great showcase for women's hockey!

It has nothing to do with 'enjoying it' or not. There were simply not anywhere near that many people actually there. If we're going to discuss crowds and venues, etc., let's do it with eyes open.

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

It has nothing to do with 'enjoying it' or not. There were simply not anywhere near that many people actually there. If we're going to discuss crowds and venues, etc., let's do it with eyes open.

Oh. Sorry about that.

 

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 at Ridder this weekend.

I'd say the 1,800 was legitimate. If you only watched on TV, then you're at a disadvantage. I know what 1,800 people in Ridder looks like, and I'd say yesterday was pretty close. The 2,500 is much harder to gauge, because for semifinals, they won't necessarily all be in the building at the same time. There is NO way you can even guess at that from a web stream.

 

[robertearle]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I'd say the 1,800 was legitimate. If you only watched on TV, then you're at a disadvantage. I know what 1,800 people in Ridder looks like, and I'd say yesterday was pretty close. The 2,500 is much harder to gauge, because for semifinals, they won't necessarily all be in the building at the same time. There is NO way you can even guess at that from a web stream.

Capacity, the internet tells me, is 3400. That means to get 1800, every other seat has to be filled. Look at the video highlights available here and there; not every other seat is filled. Not close.

 

[Still Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 people in Ridder this weekend. That happens at Labahn, too. But let's not kid ourselves There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 at Ridder this weekend.

There probably weren't close to 2,500 people in Ridder on Saturday at any one time, but that's probably pretty accurate for the day as a whole. There was a large Bemidji State contingent that left after the first game, as did many, though certainly not all of the Wisconsin fans. A lot of Minnesota fans didn't arrive until between games. You can't judge the attendance at a two game session without accounting for the fact that there are a lot of people who only show up for one of them.

A figure of 1,800 for Sunday wasn't far off. Remember that you can't just look at the number of filled seats and judge from that. They don't sell standing room tickets at Ridder, but there are a lot of people who watch from the rail. Push them all down into their seats, and you're probably close to the 60% capacity that 1,800 would represent.

Aside from that, as you imply, overstated figures are hardly unique to this weekend. Unless you have some evidence to suggest that it was worse the last two days than it usually is, you haven't done anything to cast doubt on the argument that this was the best attended WCHA Final Faceoff.

While I've been disappointed by the attendance at Ridder for the last couple of years, this doesn't really have much to do with women's hockey. Minnesotans are pretty fickle about attending sporting events in general. Not recently, but the Vikings used to have trouble avoiding the NFL's blackout policy; they weren't even that bad at the time. The folks around here just aren't as rabid as cheeseheads.

Which is why it's so disappointing that the UW athletics department is such a bunch of ****ed cheapskates and didn't build a proper women's hockey facility.

 

[Nowheresville]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 people in Ridder this weekend. That happens at Labahn, too. But let's not kid ourselves There were not remotely close to 2500 and 1800 at Ridder this weekend.

I'm comparing apples to apples. The attendance figures for this tournament were calculated the same way as all of the previously tournament so the number of no shows shouldn't be that different as previous tournaments.

However, I agree with ARM that I think the numbers are a lot closer than you're making them out to be, and since this is a stand alone event that's not sold as a season ticket package, there really isn't any reason why you'd have a large number of people buying tickets and not showing up.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

You are wasting your bits. TA only wants to cast a negative light on anything MN does. Reality has no input on it. That Labahn couldn't have held yesterday's crowd does not impress him, it was bad because it was in Minneapolis.

Missing your ...I have said on this site that I fully understand why the WCHA likes having the games in Ridder...location location location. It makes great sense to have it there. I was under the wrong impression that Ridder was more full for the rodents games and that Labahn was too small, which apparently is not the case. I'd love to see it in Madison, I would go to all the games, but they have to bid first, and if they choose to do so, I think attendance for the weekend would exceed what was this weekend, provided UW was in both games, which in the next 3 years is extremely possible.

 

[Still Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Missing your I was under the wrong impression that Ridder was more full for the rodents games and that Labahn was too small, which apparently is not the case.

That depends upon what you mean by "too small" and which tournament you're talking about. The NCAA rules for where the Frozen Four can be held specify a minimum seating capacity that LaBahn does not meet. Ridder doesn't meet it either, which I suspect is why none of the next four Frozen Fours are there, but it's closer, and there was a distinct lack of places that bid to host in the 2015-18 cycle. It's kind of funny, though, since attendance has been higher at Ridder than at any of the place that do meet the minimum capacity.

The statement that LaBahn is too small for the WCHA Final Faceoff isn't about seating capacity. It's about the other aspects of the facilities, including locker rooms and press box.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Just to put things in perspective, attendance for the other three conference championship games:

Clarkson/Colgate - 1,187
Northeastern/Connecticut - 540
Mercyhurst/Robert Morris - 562
Total: 2,289

 

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Capacity, the internet tells me, is 3400. That means to get 1800, every other seat has to be filled. Look at the video highlights available here and there; not every other seat is filled. Not close.

A lot of people end up standing along the rails in Ridder. Looking down from upstairs, I thought that the 1800 is close. You're entitled to use whatever estimation methods you like to disagree with me, although I would assume that you'd admit that I had some views that you did not. Anyway, I've definitely seen buildings in more of a "Not close" situation.

 

[robertearle]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

A lot of people end up standing along the rails in Ridder. Looking down from upstairs, I thought that the 1800 is close. You're entitled to use whatever estimation methods you like to disagree with me, although I would assume that you'd admit that I had some views that you did not. Anyway, I've definitely seen buildings in more of a "Not close" situation.

Do you know anyone in the UM athletic department who might be able to tell you a 'tickets scanned' number? We, generally, all did this last year with 'Fill The Bowl' and a 'tickets scanned' number ultimately became known, IIRC.

 

[Quiet Riot]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Peters showed herself to be everything we knew she could be. She is a "money player" Count on her when it is on the line. I have not been as impressed by a teams performance since 2012. That year the team seemed to be having sort of a down year, until the WCHA playoffs & they really stepped up (tore off 62 in a row actually). Then we got spoiled a lot. Seemed like it would have been more than $50. All three games were poorly officiated.

Sydney Peters is a great goalie and a great kid. I know a father and his daughter goalie that are so happy for her. All the crap she took from the posters on here and she shut them all up.
Go Syd...except for the final game (if we're lucky enough) of course.

 

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Sydney Peters is a great goalie and a great kid. I know a father and his daughter goalie that are so happy for her. All the crap she took from the posters on here and she shut them all up.
Go Syd...except for the final game (if we're lucky enough) of course.

100% agree. I said at the time that goalies get too much credit & too much blame. I don't remember if I also mentioned how down on Amanda some of those same people were when she had a tough early season. If I didn't I should have. Syd was not the problem this season but did take the lion's share of the blame.

 

[Nowheresville]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Do you know anyone in the UM athletic department who might be able to tell you a 'tickets scanned' number? We, generally, all did this last year with 'Fill The Bowl' and a 'tickets scanned' number ultimately became known, IIRC.

I'm sure the number is available if someone wants to do enough digging. GPL has done several articles about sold vs. scanned tickets at Mariucci, where that really is a significant issue as nearly 25% of all tickets have been going unscanned in recent years. Certainly, FtB it was an issue where they sold 13k tickets, yet entire sections of the lower bowl were empty, so clearly there was a disconnect.

But I really don't see how that's likely to be a significant issue in this case. You don't have season ticket holders for these games, you don't have $1 tickets where people buy them and don't care if they don't end up using them, and it's not a situation like we could see at the Frozen Four where people bought tickets anticipating a sellout, and then their team didn't make it. So I just don't see how it's likely that hundreds of people are spending $15 to $35 on tickets and then not using them.

And again, we're talking apples to apples anyway. Whatever the number of unscanned tickets there were this year, is there any reason to think that number would be significantly higher than in previous years - other than an attendance guess based on what you watched on tv?

 

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Which is why it's so disappointing that the UW athletics department is such a bunch of ****ed cheapskates and didn't build a proper women's hockey facility.

In February of 2004 there was a Power Play Club luncheon at Jax Cafe in Minneapolis. Coach Halldorson was there along with guest speaker Mark Johnson. One of the PPC members (he's still around) asked him how the plans for building a women's hockey facility were coming along. He was somewhat positive in his outlook on that and mentioned that the plan was that it would also be used as a men's practice facility. He was hopeful that it eventually would be built, but I bet he never thought it would take another 7 years just to break ground. Perhaps a "proper women's hockey facility" was never part of the grand plan.

I don't know, but is it now or has it ever been used as a men's practice facility?

 

[robertearle]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I don't know, but is it now or has it ever been used as a men's practice facility?

To the best of my knowledge, yes, absolutely.

The only alternatives when the Kohl Center was set up for basketball were/are a rink in a building next to Camp Randall Stadium (building called 'the Shell'; 200 meter indoor track), or out to the Dane County Coliseum. The Shell is a mile from the Kohl Center, and the Coliseum is 2 to 3 miles. You used to see hockey players riding the scooters, two per scooter, sticks and pads en tow, riding back and forth to one or the other rinks. In the middle of winter. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

I don't get down to that area as much as I used to at that time of day, but when I do, I no longer see any scooter-riding hockey players.

 

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I said at the time that goalies get too much credit & too much blame. I don't remember if I also mentioned how down on Amanda some of those same people were when she had a tough early season.

Leveille? When did she have a tough early season? I only remember her having one bad weekend as a Gopher, and unfortunately, it happened when a lot of people were watching. That is one of the problems that Sid Peters has had; her career followed seven straight years of Noora and Lev. We were accustomed to seeing just about everything possible being stopped, by two goalies whose competitiveness was all you could ask. Good for Peters. Her compete level this weekend wouldn't take a backseat to anyone. No matter what happens from here, with her NCAA shutout at Duluth and her play this weekend, she's written her name into the history of Gopher hockey.

 

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Leveille? When did she have a tough early season? I only remember her having one bad weekend as a Gopher, and unfortunately, it happened when a lot of people were watching. That is one of the problems that Sid Peters has had; her career followed seven straight years of Noora and Lev. We were accustomed to seeing just about everything possible being stopped, by two goalies whose competitiveness was all you could ask. Good for Peters. Her compete level this weekend wouldn't take a backseat to anyone. No matter what happens from here, with her NCAA shutout at Duluth and her play this weekend, she's written her name into the history of Gopher hockey.

I remember Leveille being whined about early one year. Particularly complaints about rebounds. I noted (correctly I believe) that she was doing exactly what she wanted with the puck but the team was not on the same page so the rebounds were left open. They worked through that & rebounds got cleared and they won a championship. Peter's issues were not rebounds but a couple of poor starts that caused some people to complain & blame her for a lot of failings that were not hers. This weekend she stood on her head a few times to make saves but was solid as she has been for most of the season.